The present invention pertains generally to torso harnesses which are utilized by rescue personnel to perform rescue operations while suspended from a safety line, and in particular to a capture strap which is attached to a rescue harness designed for use with a helicopter, and which is used to capture and contain the individual being rescued.
Harnesses for supporting a person while the person is suspended from a safety line are well known in the art. These devices include various types of rescue harnesses, safety harnesses for window washers and tree trimmers, mountain climbing harnesses, and parachute harnesses. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,893 shows an articulating leg sling and belt. The leg slings and safety belt provide combined articulation permitting freedom of movement. The belt has offset fastening means which permit sliding movement along a portion of the belt adjacent the attachment point to a carabiner. U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,436 illustrates a safety harness and belt assembly for aircraft crew members. The device includes left and right slings, a first belt assembly having first and second ends, a survival kit strap attachment fitting which slidably engages the belt assembly, and a mechanism for releasably attaching the fitting to a seat of the aircraft. The slings are designed to extend from the chest of the crew member over the crew member""s shoulders, to the back of the crew member. U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,976 defines a safety harness to be worn by a worker especially a worker wearing a plastic suit for protection in a radioactive or chemically hostile environment. The harness comprises a torso surrounding portion with at least one horizontal strap for adjustably securing the harness about the torso, two vertical shoulder straps with rings just forward of the peak of the shoulders for attaching a lifeline and a pair of adjustable leg supporting straps releasably attachable to the torso surrounding portion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,292 discloses a harness with adjustable means for supporting a tool belt. The harness is arranged to suspend a tool belt, and comprises a pair of leg straps, a pair of upper torso straps, a pair of rappelling straps, a seat strap, and four belt suspenders. Each of the upper torso straps includes a chest strap portion and a back strap portion, with the chest strap portions extending across respective portions of the chest of the worker. U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,833 illustrates a fall prevention and lowering system. The systems consists of a rope grab, a body engagement device such as a harness, and a lanyard and lowering device.
Harnesses used for helicopter rescues have seen little development over the years. Most harness styles were developed years ago for work on chimneys, buildings, and rock climbing. Helicopter rescue operators have merely bought these preexisting harnesses, attached them to their cables, and taken off. There are four primary harness types: (1) vertical body orientation, (2) horizontal body orientation, (3) inverted body orientation, and (4) seated body orientation. The harness for seated body orientation is the most frequently used for cliff rescues. Horizontal body orientation is used for swift water rescues. In each scenario, the occupant cannot land and must rely entirely on the helicopter to provide support. The harness for inverted body orientation is used for descending narrow openings such as caves, elevator shafts, and holes. This scenario would be utilized by ground units such as urban search and rescues (U.S.A.R.).
The present invention is directed to a capture strap which is removably connectable to a rescue harness. The capture strap is utilized by a rescuer to surround, contain, and hold a person being rescued. The capture strap of the present invention is particularly useful in effecting swift water rescues using a helicopter in which the person to be rescued is being rapidly swept along by a river or other body of water.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a capture strap is fashioned from strap material having a first end and an opposite second end. A first metal connector is attached to the first end, and a cooperating second metal connector is attached to the second end. The rescuer holds the first and second metal connectors in his hands and slaps them together to lock the capture strap easily and rapidly around a person being rescued.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, the capture strap has two spaced apart harness connectors for removably connecting the capture strap to two spaced apart receptacles on the chest portion of a rescue harness.
In accordance with an important aspect of the invention, the capture strap has a cross member to reduce the effective length of the capture strap, and thereby assist in capturing smaller persons.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.